New knowledge of connective tissue ageing

The biological mechanisms of ageing are poorly understood. One of the few areas in which reasonable progress is being made is in the age-related changes in connective tissues. This is understandable since connective tissues are involved in many of the gross manifestations of ageing such as wrinkling of the skin, physical disabilities of joints, and vascular disease. Even here, however, we are only beginning to learn of the nature of the age changes in precise biochemical and biophysical terms. Only recently has our knowledge of the connective tissue components collagen, proteoglycans, and elastin progressed to the point where we can frame sound questions about their changes with age. nevertheless